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1.
FARMED ANIMALS EXCLUDED FROM STATE ANTI-CRUELTY LAWS
Idaho is one of five states where animal
cruelty is not a felony. Previous efforts to strengthen
Idaho law have been unsuccessful. Legislative leaders
contend that without the agricultural community's
support, animal cruelty legislation cannot pass. According
to Cattle Association President Kent Mann, the agricultural
community has opposed such legislation out of fear
that it could interfere with its ability to function.
This year, an Idaho animal protection group agreed
not to mention farmed animals in its proposed anti-cruelty
bill after consulting with state agriculture groups.
"We tried to make our [bill] as lenient as possible
to satisfy people who might be opposed to it,"
said Virginia Hemingway, president of Stop Torturing
Our Pets. The bill would have made a third animal
cruelty conviction a felony. It was killed on February
12th by the House Agricultural Affairs Committee.
A separate bill seeks to make cockfighting a felony.
The city of Boise is considering tripling its fine
for animal cruelty following such incidents as the
discovery of numerous dead and malnourished cattle.
In Arkansas, the Felony Animal Cruelty
Law has been signed into law. The bill makes aggravated
cruelty to cats, dogs and horses a felony on first
offense and penalizes cockfighting. Initial opposition
by some farmers resulted in a compromise between animal
welfare organizations and rural factions. “[T]here's
nothing in here that's going to jeopardize agriculture
in Arkansas, in any way,” said state Senator
Sue Madison, the bill’s lead sponsor. The bill
exempts “generally accepted animal husbandry
practices.” New Mexico also recently passed
a similar bill, and a reportedly similar bill is pending
in Mississippi (as is one in Indiana (PDF link): http://tinyurl.com/celpem
). General animal cruelty laws in many other states
exclude farmed animals from their protections. See:
ANIMAL RIGHTS? SOME THINGS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN TO A DOG:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11687743
and see: faw/faw8-17.htm#6
faw/faw7-12.htm#2
faw/faw6-38.htm#3
Newsletters/Newslettern71v2.htm#1
The Oklahoma Farm Bureau is spearheading
an effort to pass a state law giving the Legislature
exclusive right to make laws about farm animal treatment.
Agriculture groups are trying to prevent a voter initiative,
such as California’s Proposition 2 (see: http://tinyurl.com/djo4uz
), from getting on the Oklahoma ballot.
IDAHO CRUELTY BILL: ANIMAL ADVOCATES,
AG COLLABORATE
Idaho Statesman, Sarah D. Wire, February 11, 2009
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/665306.html
BOISE MAY TOUGHEN ANIMAL CRUELTY LAW
Idaho Statesman, Chad Dryden, February 17, 2009
http://www.idahostatesman.com/boise/story/670241.html#Comments_Container
ANIMAL CRUELTY BILL GETS UNLEASHED
Arkansas Times, Gerard Matthews, January 22, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/bj6xso
IT'S OFFICIAL: ANIMAL CRUELTY IS A FELONY IN ARK.
Zoo Too, February 6, 2009
http://www.zootoo.com/petnews/itsofficialanimalcrueltyisafel-1168
NM HOUSE PASSES ANIMAL CRUELTY BILLS
Associated Press, Deborah Baker, February 13, 2009
http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_11694716
and see (PDF link): http://tinyurl.com/d3r62p
CALIFORNIA LIVESTOCK LAW SPURS GROUP TO SEEK PROTECTION
FOR STATE FARMERS
NewsOK (The Oklahoman) Kyle Arnold, February 4, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/a9le4a
2.
BILLS AGAINST CONFINEMENT, TAIL DOCKING, WANTON DESTRUCTION
In Illinois, a bill was introduced last
week to amend the state's Humane Care for Animals
Act. The bill seeks to “prohibit a person from
tethering or confining any covered animal, on a farm,
for all or the majority of any day, in a manner that
prevents the animal from lying down, standing up and
fully extending his or her limbs or turning around
freely,” with some exemptions. Violations could
result in a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up
to $500 and/or up to 180 days in jail.
A bill [ http://tinyurl.com/b9vd84
] has been introduced in the California Senate to
ban the docking (partial amputation) of cows’
tails except "during an individual treatment,
emergency or operation, if the treatment or operation
is performed by a veterinarian for veterinary purposes"
with proper anesthesia. Proponents of the practice
say it is done for the comfort of milking personnel,
to enhance udder cleanliness and to improve milk quality.
The American Veterinary Medical Association says that
it “provides no benefit to the animal and…can
lead to distress during fly seasons." California
already outlaws the docking of horses’ tails,
and cow tail docking is illegal in much of Europe.’
A California Senate Committee on Food
and Agriculture hearing to be held to consider other
possible farmed animal protection issues to be addressed
by the legislature following the passage of Proposition
2 (see: http://tinyurl.com/djo4uz
) has been cancelled “due to ongoing budget
negotiations.” It has not been rescheduled.
A Utah bill has been introduced with the purpose
of upgrading the severity of charges in cases of “wanton
destruction” of farmed animals (and poaching).
Currently prosecuted as criminal mischief, such crimes
would range from misdemeanor to second-degree felony
depending on the monetary value of the harmed animal(s).
See also: HSUS OUTLINES ITS PUSH FOR
CHANGE: http://tinyurl.com/cfemlo
ILLINOIS BILL FOCUSED ON ANIMAL PRODUCTION
Feedstuffs, Sarah Muirhead, February 13, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/bw2smd
NEW TAIL-DOCKING BILL MAY MAKE CALIFORNIA'S DAIRY
COWS HAPPIER
Los Angeles Times (blog), Lindsay Barnett, February
13, 2009
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/02/new-tail-dockin.html
CALIFORNIA SENATE HOLDS FIRST ANIMAL WELFARE HEARINGS
Central Valley Business Times, February 16, 2009
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=11159
BILL STRENGTHENS PUNISHMENT FOR LIVESTOCK CASES
Deseret News, Laura Hancock, February 5, 2009
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,705283085,00.html
3.
TURKEY ABUSERS FACE YEARS OF INCARCERATION
Three former Aviagen workers have been
indicted on 19 counts of animal abuse after they were
videotaped torturing turkeys (see: http://tinyurl.com/byzmgg
). Eleven of the counts are felony charges, each punishable
by up to five years in jail. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals, which taped the employees, believes
the charges are the most serious that such workers
have ever faced.
A trial for five people accused of assaulting
pigs at MowMar Farms ( http://tinyurl.com/89wtlt
), scheduled for February, will likely be delayed:
http://www.keyc.com/node/16743.
EX-TURKEY FARM WORKERS INDICTED ON ABUSE
CHARGES
Associated Press, Vicki Smith, February 5, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/ckkkhr
4.
CALVES DUMPED
Some thirty calves, believed to be from
a dairy, were found dead, stacked by a California
roadside in mid-January. "We have seen these
calves being illegally dumped on the sides of roads
for, oh, the past year, year and a half," said
San Joaquin County's agricultural commissioner Scott
Hudson. Economic conditions and a rise in the cost
of rendering are said to be the cause of an increase
in “calf-dumping.” At auction, male calves
from the dairy industry would “fetch $5 each
but cost hundreds and hundreds more to bottle feed
special formula.” Farm Sanctuary is offering
$2,000 for information leading to the identification
and arrest of the individual(s) who left the calves.
Hudson said he will work with the sheriff for a solution
but acknowledged that preventing such a crime may
be difficult.
NO EXCUSES FOR CALF-DUMPING!
Dairy Herd Management, February 10, 2009
http://www.dairyherd.com/directories.asp?pgID=675&ed_id=8164
DAIRY COWS HEAD FOR SLAUGHTER AS MILK PRICES SOUR
Blue Ridge Now (Associated Press), Tracie Cone, February
16, 2009
http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20090216/APF/902160581
REWARD OFFERED IN CALF CASE
The Record, Reed Fujii, February 10, 2009
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090210/A_BIZ/902100310
5. CANADIAN ACTIVISTS CALL FOR SAFER BUILDING CODES
Canadian activists are calling for changes
to farm building codes after thousands of pigs were
killed in a January 27th fire that swept through four
large Saskatchewan barns. The Canadian Coalition for
Farm Animals said the incident is but the latest in
a series of preventable farm tragedies. A spokesperson
for the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes
said that updating the national code is on its agenda
but that provinces have final say on updating and
enforcing building codes. See also: http://tinyurl.com/c9bsks.
PIG BARN FIRE PROMPTS ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS
TO CALL FOR SAFEGUARDS
AOL News (source: CBS News), February 9, 2009
http://news.aol.ca/article/pigs-fire/519651/
6.
CENSUS, SURVEYS, AND STATS
The USDA has released its 2007 Census
of Agriculture. It presents “a comprehensive
summary of agricultural activity” for the nation
and for each state. The document includes information
on the populations and monetary values of farmed animals
and crops, the number of farms by size and type, operator
characteristics and other information: http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/index.asp
An analysis of the census found that: “About
50% of the acres harvested in the U.S. in 2007 were
planted in corn and soy. Another 36% of the acres
harvested were planted in wheat and hay. Veggies made
up only 1.5% of the harvested acres in the U.S.; orchard
crops (fruit and tree nuts) made up 1.6%.” According
to a study by the Global Development and Environment
Institute at Tufts University, buying farmed animals
fattened on subsidized grain saved chicken slaughterers
$11.3 billion, pig slaughterers $8.5 billion, and
cattle slaughterers $4.5 billion from 1997 to 2005.
Cattle
The first of a series of reports to be generated from
the latest National Animal Health Monitoring System
survey of the cattle industry is now available: http://tinyurl.com/b43o7r.
The report, “Highlights of Beef 2007-08. Part
I: Reference of Beef Cow-calf Management Practices
in the U.S., 2007-08,” focuses on health and
management practices in 24 major cattle states, representing
80% of U.S. cow-calf operations and 88% of cattle
in the U.S. raised for meat. At least six reports
and a number of fact sheets are to be generated from
the study over the coming year.
The average 2008 feedlot loss on fattened cattle
has been estimated at $150 per animal, according to
a presentation at the 2009 Cattle Industry Annual
Convention. A conservative figure of $100 per animal
on the 26 million fed cattle equals a 2008 feeding
industry loss of $2.6 billion -- or more than two-thirds
of the net worth of the cattle feeding industry, said
Tom Brink, vice president of risk management and cattle
ownership for Five Rivers Feeding.
Chickens
For the first time since 1975, the U.S. is expected
to produce less chicken than in a prior year. Last
year, Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the second-largest chicken
company in the U.S., had a loss of nearly $1 billion
and filed for bankruptcy. In Arkansas, 74 chicken
farmers are suing Pilgrim's for fraud after it terminated
contracts with at least 300 farms. See also POULTRY
OUTLOOK: PROCESSORS STRIVE TO SURVIVE: http://tinyurl.com/b3ohqj
Pigs
A survey of Assured British Pig producers, released
at the end of 2008, shows that one in every four sows
in the U.K. is bred outdoors, but just one in twenty
pigs spend the growing period outdoors and one in
a hundred are “finished” on free range.
Of U.K. sows, 56% give birth in some form of farrowing
crate, while 1% are loose-housed indoors. The majority
of piglets are teeth-clipped (57%) and tail-docked
(65%). The survey looks into housing, feeding and
husbandry practices on pig farms in the United Kingdom.
The full report can be found at (PDF link): http://tinyurl.com/d53yvv
NAHMS COW-CALF SURVEY RESULTS AVAILABLE
BEEF, Joe Roybal, February 13, 2009
http://beefmagazine.com/cowcalfweekly/0213-nahms-cowcalf-survey/?smte=wl
FARM SUBSIDIES, BITTER AND SWEET
Gristmill, Tom Philpott, February 13, 2009
http://gristmill.grist.org/print/2009/2/12/165645/217?show_comments=no
SEARCHING TO SUPPORT FALLING US BEEF DEMAND
The Beef Site, February 2009
http://www.thebeefsite.com/articles/1868/searching-to-support-falling-us-beef-demand
FARMERS FACE EMPTY-NEST SYNDROME AMID CHICKEN HOUSING
CRISIS
The Wall Street Journal, Lauren Etter, February 12,
2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123440092979675383.html
STRUCTURE OF THE UK PIG INDUSTRY
The Pig Site, Jackie Linden, February 5, 2009
http://www.thepigsite.com/articles/2512/structure-of-the-uk-pig-industry
7.
WELFARE NOTES
At its annual convention at the end
of January, the National Cattlemen's Beef Association
board instructed the organization to "not be
compelled to defend" producers who clearly have
abused cattle and -if in the best interests of the
industry- support actions by federal or state agencies
against those who have abused cattle.
Industry efforts to improve U.S. pig
production methods have become more urgent with the
passage of California’s Proposition 2 (see:
http://tinyurl.com/djo4uz
). "We're going to be spending a large amount
of dollars on research on how to properly and humanely
euthanize all sizes of pigs--from weanling pigs to
large sows," a National Pork Board representative
said. See also CONTROVERSY OVER GASSING PIGS: http://tinyurl.com/de5apy.
Ensuring that animals throughout Europe
are killed by a method that causes instantaneous death
or death after stunning is the focus of a European
Union proposal. It covers birds and fish but not reptiles
or amphibians, and it includes an exemption for religious
slaughter without prior stunning. The proposal is
to be subject to a comprehensive consultation.
NCBA ACCEPTS GOVERNANCE REPORT
Feedstuffs, Rod Smith, February 1, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/ddslj6
PORK BOARD PRIORITISES HUMANE EUTHANASIA OF PIGS
The Pig Site, January 30, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/c35t2h
EU: CREATE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR WELFARE AT SLAUGHTER
The Poultry Site, January 28, 2009
http://tinyurl.com/dmu7xs
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